Card stacking device



Dec. 5, 1939. H. KEIL CARD STACKING DEVICE Filed Odt. 15, 1938 3Sheets-Sheet l wAfiAAANmAAAAA /AW I [N133 BYM ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1939. vH. KEIL 2,181,995

. CARD STACKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 15, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MJ21 ATTORNEYS Dec. 5, 1939.

H. KEIL CARD STACKiNG DEVICE Filed Oct. 15, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig. 5

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS- Patented Dec. 5, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,181,995 cam)S'TACKING DEVICE Hermann Keil, Berlin-Lankwitz, Germany, assignor to thefirm Deutsche Hollerith Maschinen G.'m. b. H., Berlin-Lichterfelde,Germany Application October 15, 1938,. Serial No. 235,283 In Germany May20, 1938 3 Claims. (01. 271-88) The present invention relates to carddepositing devices utilized in card controlled machines such astabulating and sorting machines controlled by cards with holes or otherindex marks,

wherein the card after having passed through the machine is divertedabove the' depositing pocket by an inclined surface and drops freelyinto the pocket immediately after leaving the card feed rollers. 1

In order that in such devices the cards are properly stacked it isnecessary that the distance of the free dropping of the cards be asshort as possible,- and moreover, always constant independently of theheight of the card stack which is in the pocket. The bottom of thepocket is,

therefore, guided so as to be movable up and down and is usually urgedupwardly by a spiral spring. As the cards drop into the pocket the cardstack will drop downwardly against the w tension of the spring. Theresiliency of the spring is so selected that with each newly arrivingcard a downward movement of the bottom of the card pocket equivalent tothe thickness of the card will take place so that the top of the cardstack will assume the same position thus causing the distance each carddrops into the pocket to always be thesame. In order toinsure that thedownward movement of the bottom of the card takes place immediately withthe recep- 30 tion of the cards first received, the friction which thecard pocket bottom encounters in its guide must be very low because thisfriction must be overcome by the weight of the first few cards fed intothe pocket. 3 It is a vwell known construction, in depositingarrangements of the type referred to, to fasten the card pocket bottomwithits lower side to a tube in which a spiral spring is arranged andwhich tube is guided in another fixed tube. The latter tube must,therefore, be arranged below the 4 lowermost part of the depositingpocket. This arrangement complies with the requirement of,

a guidance with very low friction, however, it requires a constructionof the machine which has 4 the disadvantage that below the depositingpocket a comparatively great space must be provided for the long guidetube and, as a rule, a machine frame with long supporting legsisrequired by this construction.

5 According to the present construction the card pocket bottom isarranged as a carriage runningup and down onone side wall of the cardpocket and is drawn upwardly by a tension spring also arranged at theside and close to the plane of the 5 rollers. The arrangement is suchthat in spite of the restriction of only one spring and two pairs ofrollers tilting or jamming of the carriage in the pocket is impossible.The novel arrangement results also in little friction in the guidance ofthe card pocket bottom and compared with 5 the known arrangement, abovedescribed, it affords the advantage that it does not require arify greatspace below the pocket and may, therefore; be incorporated in machineshaving a frame without legs so that it may be placed on 10 any tablewith the base plate restingthereon. Such an arrangement is particularlydesirable when comparatively small machines, such as small sortingmachines, are provided and have only'two or three pockets. Such machinesare 15 used when the sorting of a stack of perforated record cardsaccording to two or three characteristics is required. For instance, ifthe cards with a certain designating perforation are to be assorted fromthe stack of cards, the cards 20 withthe desired designatingperforationwill be fed into one pocket and all remaining cards into the otherpocket. The same operations will take place if a separation according toperforated and imperforategcards is required. Asserting may also beeffected in a known manner so that all cards having a perforation withincertain numerical limits such as, for instance, 'cards having aperforation representing numbers between 1200 and 1400 are passed intoone pocket while all cards with a lower number representing perforationare passed into a second pocket and the cards with a higher numberrepresenting perforation are passed into a third pocket. Therefore, insuch types of machines only three card pockets would be provided. Inthese and similar types'of machines comprising a sorter with few sortingpockets the improved andnovelcard depositing arrangement may beincorporated although the particular advantages described are 0 by nomeans restricted to such types of .ma-' chines.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the-drawings and preferablyillustrated in connection with a sorting machine having only two sortingpockets.

Further objects of the instant invention reside in any novel feature ofconstruction or operation or novel combination of parts present in theembodiment of the invention described and shown in theaccompanyingdrawings whetherwithin or without the scope of the appendedclaims and irrespective of other specific statements as to the scope ofthe invention contained herein.

- cardinto the pocket 22.

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I deflected by deflector perforate ones.

.Fig. is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the depositingpockets.

Fig. 5a-is a plan view of the depositing pockets. Although the improvedarrangement may be appliedto card controlled machines of different typesit is' preferably shown in Fig. 1 in connection with a machine forsorting perforated record cards. This machine has only two sortingpockets and serves for the assorting of cards, as

has been already mentioned. The machine rests upon a table In. The cardsto be sorted are inserted in a supply hopper II.

I5 is reciprocated by a motor l2 by means of a worm gear l3 and a-crankdrive l4 causes the picker IE to feed for each revolution of the crankone card to feed rollers 5 which are also driven by the motor. The cardthen passes beneath the analyzing device I! and further to the.

feed rollers l8'and depending upon the position of the deflector l9 itwill pass either into the pocket or to the feed rollers 2| which feedthe When the "card is fed to the pocket '20 it is deflected downwardlyby the, movable deflector I9 and when the card is fed to the pocket 22it is deflected by the stationary deflector sheet 23. If the simplesttype of machine is assumed in which a card separation shall take placeaccording to perforated and mimperforate cards, upon the analysis of aper- -to be raised and heldtemporarily in this position so that the cardfed by the rollers l8 will be l9 into the pocket 20. Thus all perforatedcards'will drop into the right hand pocket 20 (Fig. 1). Upon the passageof the imperforate cards the magnet 24 will not be card receivingcarriage (Fig.2) is provided, generally indicated by numeral 40 and uponthe upper incl ned surface 25 of the same the cards will .be stacked. InFig. 1 the right hand carriage 40 is shown in its lowermost positio'with the pocket 20 filled, and the left hand carriage 40 is shown innearly the uppermost position and which position is taken after a fewcards have been dropped into the pocket 22. If sorting takes placeaccording to perforated and imperferate cards, as has been assumedabove. the cards in the right hand pocket are the perforated cards andthose in. the left hand pocket are the im- The movable carddepositing-carriage 25 has triangular side walls 26 which carry the.pairs of. guide rollers 21 and 28. walls 26 pass through the slots 29formed in. the fixed card pocket wall 30 and the side walls 26 areguided by theseslots. The lower portions of the side walls 26are'interconnected by the rod The card picker- The triangular side 31 tothe middle of which a tension spring 32 is connected and the other endof said spring is fastened to a spring stud 33 carried by the fixed wall30 of the card pocket. A wall 34, which is the fixed side wall of thesame pocket, is also provided with slots 36 (Fig. 1) receiving portionsof the side walls 26 of the card depositing carriage.

This arrangement prevents cards from jamming between the carriage andthe card pocket walls.

The assembly of card depositing carriage, card pocket wall and tensionspring maybe best seen in Figs. 5 and 5a. The upper rollers 21' roll onthe outside of the fixed wall 30 and the lower 1 rollers 28 roll on'theinside of the card pocket wall 30 so thatjthe force acting incounterclockwise direction and resulting from theweight of the cards, aswell as from the tension spring, will merely cause the card pocketcarriage to receive a translatory movement. The carriage will,therefore, move downwardly guided by the walls 30"and 34 as soon ascards are deposited thereon so that their weight will overcome thetension of the spring 32.

The sideward movement of the carriage'is prevented by the guide slots 29and 36 of the plates 30 and 34, respectively, receiving the side walls26 (Figs. 2 to 4).

It is, therefore, possible to fasten the spring to the lower end ofthe-carriage, namely, to the pin 31 and to make use of the completelength of the spring.

The side wall 30' of the pocket 22 is assembled together with the sidewall 34 of the pocket 20 by overlapping bent lips (Figs. 5 and 5a) whichare fastened together by any suitable means and thesetwo side walls formtogether with'the carriage 40 and the spring 32 a unit which is fastenedto the machine frame. If more than two dep'ositin'g pockets are providedthis unit arrangement may be provided for any desired numher of pockets.

In order to decrease the. height of. the machine the base plate 4|(Fig. 1) has a recess in which the lower part of the carriage can enter(Fig. 1)

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamentalnovel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, itwill be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changesin the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operationmay be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spiritof the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only asin- A the cards controlling the'machine are fed to a card receivingpocket, a support for said cards supporting plate having transversedownwardly bent integral side portions, a side wall of said pockethaving slots receiving said side portions, a supplemental side wallhaving slots receiving said integral side portions'pairs of rollerscarried by said side portions and arranged to roll onopposite sides ofsaid supplemental side wall, and a spring connected to said. supportplate and fixed to a part of the machine for resiliently supporting thestack of cards fed to the pocket.

2. In a'card receiving device for cards in which the cards controllingthe machine are fed to a card receiving pocket, a side wall of saidpocket and providedwith slots, a supplemental side wall for said pocketand provided with slots, 2. support comprising as a unitary integralstructure a card for said cards 'comprising as a unitary integralstructure a transverse card bottom receiving plate extending betweensaid side walls and provided with integral downwardly bent side portionspassing. into the slots of said side wall and supplemental side wall,pairs of rollers carried by said side portions and arranged thereon insuch a manner that one of said side walls provides on its opposite sidesthe rolling surfaces for said rollers to thereby guide said plate in itsupward and downward movement, and a spring connected at one end to saidplate and connected at the other end to the side wall cooperating withsaid rollers.

3. A unitary arrangement tor card receiving pockets in which individualcards are fed therein comprising; a pair of interconnected walls whichare spaced thereby, one of which is the side wal for one pocket, and theother of. which is the side wall of the other pocket, a card receivingbottom for a pocket comprising as a unitary integral structure a cardsupporting plate having integral downwardly bent side extensionsextending through slots formed in one of said walls, pairs of rollerscarried by said extensions so arranged that the last named wall providesat opposite sides thereof the rolling surfaces for said rollers, and aspring extending in the space between said side walls and connected at'one end to one side wall and. at the other end to said plate.

HERMANN KEIL;

